Celeste Maloy

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the topic of this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Kiley).

Largest Tax Increase in California History

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Higgins).

Honoring Andrew David

The Fourth of July fireworks are over, and the barbecue leftovers are long gone. Now we have the rest of the year to continue to reflect on America's founding 250 years ago.

John Adams believed that independence should be celebrated with solemn reflection. In that spirit, I sponsored a speech competition for the high school students in Utah's Second Congressional District and asked teenagers to write about what America means to them.

Tonight, I will read the two winning speeches as well as a little bit about the two students who wrote them. These speeches were selected out of a pile of speeches with blind reading, so I didn't know who had written them.

Kambree Giles is a student at Millard High School in the Second District. She is entering her senior year. She lives in Meadow, Utah, a town with fewer than 350 people, where she is an active member of her school's FFA chapter. After graduating, she plans to serve an 18-month proselytizing mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

This is her speech:

George W. Bush said, ``For we are given power not to advance our own purposes, nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power, and it is to serve people.'' I love this quote because it shows just how America should be. I ask you: What are you doing to help the people around you, and therefore to help this country?

I believe that this country is a country of love and freedom. Each of us has the unique opportunity to help those around us. If we love those around us, we can make someone feel better. Love is the first thing I think of when I think of what this great country is. This country means being able and willing to be a helping hand. We all have the freedom to help those around us. We never know just how much of an influence that can be.

When people think about this country, they should be inspired and feel proud to call it home. I want everyone who hears this to be inspired to show kindness and feel the sense of pride that this country brings. Every time I stand up to say the pledge or when I hear the national anthem, I feel a sense of pride to be able to call this country my home. I get teary-eyed because I know what this country stands for and the lengths kindness has gone to keep it free. The most important thing this country stands for, for me, is kindness.

If anything is taken from my speech, I hope everyone that hears this leaves feeling a stronger sense of pride for our country. If we want America to stay great, we must choose to keep it great by treating all of its people with kindness, lifting others up instead of putting them down. This country immediately needs more kindness.

Thank you, Kambree.

The second one is from Rylee Moore. Rylee is the second winner of our America 250 speech contest. She is also from a small town, Delta, Utah, where she attends Delta High School and is entering the tenth grade. Rylee's words reflect love for our Nation's history and faith in its future.

This is Rylee's speech:

America means so much to me because it is a place where freedom meets opportunity, where people from all over the world, not just America, can come together to live, work, and dream. In my opinion, America represents being able to make a difference

and choose your own path. The country is so diverse with so many cultures, ideas, and traditions, it is amazing.

To me, America is also about standing up for what is right, working hard to make things happen, and better the world around us.

It is far from perfect, but with the freedom to speak our mind and fight for justice, great communities are created. I am proud to live in a country that supports freedom and opinion.

In conclusion, America brings hope, opportunity, and a place where I can imagine and create a bright future for myself as well as others.

Thank you, Rylee.

Kambree and Rylee are young, and their words reflect well on them, their families, and Utah, where they were raised. Like them, I am grateful for our country and excited about the next 250 years of American goodness and freedom. I thank each of the high school students who rose to the challenge and wrote a speech. I sincerely hope that each of them learned something new and that their love for this country grew even just a little bit.

Mr. Speaker, I thank you very much, and yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 3073, the Shivwits Band of Paiutes Jurisdictional Clarity Act.

This narrow bill gives a Tribal neighbor a fair opportunity to pursue economic development and build a stronger future for their people.

My office has worked closely with leaders from the Shivwits Band of Paiutes to understand the challenges they are facing. This legislation is the result of those conversations and reflects the solutions the Tribe believes will help them move forward while serving their members.

The Shivwits Band wants to pursue economic opportunities on their lands, but the recent decision from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals that has already been mentioned placed new barriers in the way, complicating, maybe even threatening, their economic plans.

The court held that even when a Tribe clearly waives sovereign immunity in a contract and consents to State court jurisdiction, State courts may still lack authority to hear disputes unless a series of additional requirements are met.

These requirements are not easy to meet.

Those hurdles created uncertainty for the Shivwits Band in attracting potential business partners. Without clarity for business partners, opportunities for the Band would be lost. Leaders from the Shivwits Band have spoken clearly on the need for a better path forward.

This is what they said in their own words:

``The Shivwits Tribe and local community leaders have found a new way forward: collaboration instead of conflict, and cooperation instead of contention. This bill allows the Tribe to align interests with potential business partners that can help drive economic development on Reservations.''

H.R. 3073 provides that path forward. It clarifies that Utah State courts can resolve certain civil disputes involving the Shivwits Band when those disputes arise from agreements where the Band has clearly and voluntarily waived sovereign immunity.

At the same time, the bill fully preserves Tribal sovereignty. Nothing in this legislation forces the Tribe to waive immunity. The choice remains entirely theirs.

Madam Speaker, for those reasons, I urge my colleagues to support

Mr. Speaker, it is hard not to smile when I stand here and talk about Doug LaMalfa, even on this really difficult week because Doug always made me smile.

From the beginning, he made me feel like I was really special, and I have learned this week that that is maybe the least special thing about me because everybody here felt like they were Doug LaMalfa's best friend.

The night I was sworn in as a Member of Congress, I started getting texts on my phone from a number I didn't recognize. They were pictures of me being sworn in from an angle that looked suspiciously like the House floor, which is against the rules.

I promised him I would never tell anyone where I got those pictures, so I am not going to tell you, but I still don't know how he had my number the minute I got sworn in.

He has never missed a chance to get me to sing Utah's State song with him whether we are in an airport or on the House floor or walking through the tunnels. He never failed to accompany that with jokes from ``My Cousin Vinny'' about the ``youts.''

I hope that hearing all of these memories and all of these stories that people have of Doug will comfort his family, his staff, and everybody else who is missing him at this difficult time because, even though I am smiling, I am deeply mourning for my friend, Doug LaMalfa.